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Monday, January 14, 2013

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Film Tribute to America’s Great Musical Tradition

Via Open Culture, this is an excellent look at America's first indigenous music, the blues, from which flows country, rock, and even hip hop. And Scorsese is a true fan, so to have him create this project is pretty cool. I have included two other segments from the full 7-Part DVD, Martin Scorsese presents The Blues - A Musical Journey(2003), segments by Wim Wenders and Clint Eastwood.

“I can’t imagine my life, or anyone else’s, without music,” says filmmaker Martin Scorsese. “It’s like a light in the darkness that never goes out.” So begins Feel Like Going Home, Scorsese’s fascinating and at times lyrical documentary on the origin and evolution of the blues.Feel Like Going Home (shown above in its entirety) is the first of seven installments, by seven directors, in the PBS series The Blues. It follows musician Corey Harris as he traces the roots of the Blues from the Mississippi Delta back to West Africa. The documentary includes interviews and performances from contemporary artists like Taj Mahal and Willie King, as well as archival footage of legends like Son House, Muddy Waters and Lead Belly.“I’ve always felt an affinity for blues music,” Scorsese told PBS. “The culture of storytelling through music is incredibly fascinating and appealing to me. The blues have great emotional resonance and are the foundation for American popular music.” Scorsese served as executive producer of the series, which includes episodes directed by Clint Eastwood (Piano Blues) and Wim Wenders (The Soul of a Man). The complete seven-part series is available on DVD as Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues–A Musical Journey.Related Content: